


Who Would Have Thought

by MintZephr



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Barista Lance, Bisexual Lance (Voltron), Cat whisperer Lance, Cats, Gay Keith (Voltron), Lance loves cats, Motorcycle driver Keith, Motorcycles, Multi, Pidge is a gremlin, Rain, Romantic Fluff, Sorry Not Sorry, Voltron, coffee shop AU, klance
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2018-03-15
Updated: 2018-03-19
Packaged: 2019-03-31 17:23:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 6,877
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13979925
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/MintZephr/pseuds/MintZephr
Summary: Lance works in a coffee shop and gains a crush for a customer, Keith. Their relationship forms unexpectedly through various moments and events.Who would have thought these two opposites would fall in love?





	1. Chapter 1

It all started in a small coffee shop tucked away on a crowded street in the midst of a sunny day. Lance was sweating his hands off, preparing coffee for customers and taking charge of the register. Where was Pidge when he needed them?  
The day had been busy and tiring. Locals and new faces would show up all through the day to place their orders and pay for their drinks, which Lance had to prepare all by himself. Although working long work hours all day, Lance enjoyed himself. The small, rustic environment of the cafe placed him in a joyful mood most of the time and this always made him gain extra tips from satisfied customers.  
It was this one day however, that all the stress was really starting to weigh Lance down. Pidge had to make a run for it when she had received an urgent call from her brother Matt that his car had broken down in the middle of nowhere. In Lances opinion, the car looked like a piece of crap ever since Matt showed up driving it to pick Pidge up one day. The vechile was bound to break down any time now, but of course it had to be today.  
The sun outside was glowing brilliant rays of gold throughout the atmosphere of the shop, which illuminated the tiny succulents Lance had set up at the various shelves around the place.  
The amount of customers was starting to slowly die away to Lances relief. Finally the single last customer, a girl with short blonde hair, left with her latte, and Lance collapsed on the counter in an exhausted heap.  
“Thankgod” he groaned, blinking lazily around. Deciding it was time to start shutting up for the afternoon, lance began gathering up all the dirty used cups on the now empty tables.  
Running the dishwasher, he then moved to cleaning the benches. The small radio Lance brought along to work hummed softly a favourite tune of his. Bopping his head as he cleaned, Lance began to sing quietly to himself. It was nice being able to do this without feeling embarrassed. Sometimes you just had to let your inner musical self take over. Distracted with his washing up, Lance didn’t notice another customer enter silently through the shop doors. Stupidly, Lance had forgot to put up the closed sign. Clearing their throat, the customer awkwardly watched as Lance frantically spun round to be face to face with probably one of the most handsome boys he had ever seen. The boys eyes seemed to shine a dreamy purple and his hair was so sleek and shiny and...wait a minute...is that..a MULLET?!  
Lance felt a smirk curling at his mouth. This guy could not be serious. Although he was extremely good looking, having a mullet was a big no no.  
The guy seemed to notice Lances amusement to his hair and immediately scowled disapprovingly at Lance.  
“Uh? Are you done looking at my hair? I came here to buy a coffee not be laughed at by the barista”. Man, this guy really wasn’t in a good mood.  
Lance walked round to the coffee machine and nodded as the grumpy mullet head gave his order.  
“So what’s your name?” Lance asked, busying himself in making coffee so he didn’t have to look at the customers amazing eyes.  
“And why would I tell you that?” The guy replied in an annoyed voice.  
“ Sorry just trying to make conversation” Lance huffed. He poured the coffee into the cup and handed it to the boy, who was pulling out cash from his wallet to pay.  
“Thanks” he muttered, barely even looking at Lance.  
“Rude” Lance thought.  
The guy nodded and turned on his heel towards the exit. As he reached the door he turned slightly to his side so he could glance at Lance from the corner of his eye.  
“And it’s Keith” he said, then exiting the shop. Lance grinned to himself. This guy. He was quite a strange being. Lance liked his attitude. It was..interesting, and Lance had a feeling he would be seeing “Keith” again soon.


	2. Mullet returns

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance spills his heart to Pidge and mullet returns

The next day, Lance was oddly overly   
happy. He couldn’t get over the last customer of the previous day, Keith, and he had a good feeling that the guy would be there again at the cafe today.   
The sky was starting to look grey and small rain drops fell onto Lances car window as he drove to work. Lance liked the rain. It was calming and helped him to feel at ease whenever he was having a tough time.   
Lance pulled up in the parking behind the cafe and gathered his bag from the backseat, then switched off his car and headed inside.

Pidge was already at the counter making some coffee for the regular early birds of the morning. As Lance entered, they looked up and gave a small wave.  
“So McClain finally arrives”. Pidge looked half dead. She had bags under her eyes and sounded like she had gotten little to no sleep at all.  
“Geez, you look horrible” Lance called over the noise of the coffee machine, dumping his bag in the back staff room and walking out to help Pidge.   
“I didn’t get a wink of sleep” She growled through clenched teeth as she attempted to stifle a yawn. Lance looked over in concern at his poor friend.  
“And why is that?” He asked unimpressed.  
“Let’s just say our neighbours had a massive house party and didn’t even consider that people were trying to sleep!” Pidge continued to grumble as she made the next customers order. Lance kept looking up from typing in the orders on the register to glance out the window, hoping to see Keith again, but the familiar mullet didn’t appear.

As the day dragged on, the rain grew heavier and heavier until it sounded like a battlefield on the roof of the shop. Civilians rushed about outside, their clothes soaking wet and books or whatever object they could find held above their heads.  
“I feel so sorry for anyone who doesn’t have an umbrella today” Lance said as he started to clean an empty table.  
“Same here”Pidge replied “ I wonder how many more customers we’ll be getting today”.  
“Yeah” Lance sighed.  
“Hey what’s up with you today? You don’t seem yourself, something on your mind?” Pidge asked, watching Lance intently now.  
“No, uh, nothing, what are you talking about?” Lance really didn’t want to share his thoughts.  
“Come on, I’ve known you long enough to know when something’s up Lance” Pidge continuously pestered until he finally gave in.  
“Ugh, fine there is something on my mind but you have to promise not to laugh, ok?”. Pidge grinned menacingly, she knew this was gonna be hilarious.  
“Ok” she said uncertainly, grinning.  
Lance drew in a big breath.   
“So there may have been this..guy yesterday... and he was really cute. And I’m hoping he comes back today” Lance was avoiding eye contact.  
“OH MY GOD!!” Pidge cackled so loud that even people outside the cafe turned their heads.  
“PIDGE! You GREMLIN! You said you wouldn’t laugh!” Lance was blushing furiously and quickly hid his face in his hands. Pidge nudged him in the shoulder, still snickering devilishly.   
“So, did you get his name?” She poked Lance over and over again. He slapped Pidges annoying little hand away.  
“Yes, but I’m definitely not telling you!” And with that, Lance turned away and headed to the staff room out the back.

Lance remained there for a little while before the sound of Pidge and a stranger laughing brought him back to the counter. Lance stopped dead when he saw who Pidge was laughing with. It was Keith!  
Lance could feel his face heating up and stealthily tried to sneak away but Pidge saw and it was too late.   
“Hey Lance! Come over and meet Keith my old friend from high school”.   
Lance blinked.   
What?! Pidge knew this guy? Well that was fantastic!  
Keith looked over at Lance, wearing a blank expression. Did he even remember Lance?   
“Good coffee yesterday” Keith complimented. Lance felt taken aback, that was very unexpected.  
“Wait, you’ve met each other before? Yesterday?” Oh no, Pidge was starting to catch on. Keith nodded, confused as to why Pidge sounded like she was trying to piece something together. Pidges face suddenly contorted into an evil grin. She looked at Lance with the look of I know who you met yesterday. Lance made a finger across the throat gesture, warning Pidge not to say ANYTHING.   
Quickly changing the subject, Lance turned to Keith.   
“Man, you’re soaking. I’m guessing you don’t have an umbrella?”  
Keith shrugged.   
“Yeah, not exactly my smartest move. By any chance do you have one I could borrow?”  
Lance thought for a moment.  
“Yes actually, but it’s in my car. I’ll go and get it”.  
“Wait, I’ll come with you” Keith said. Maybe he just didn’t want Lance to suffer in the rain alone.

Both boys headed out into the heavy rain which was now turning into hail.  
“Hey, I guess you could call us snowmen” Lance grinned. Keith’s face dropped dead.  
“Are you serious?” But Lance swore he heard a little laughter in his voice. They reached Lances car and he retrieved the umbrella from inside.   
“Here you go” he said, handing the blue umbrella to Keith.   
“Thanks” and for the first time, Keith smiled.   
“I’ll return it to you tomorrow. You work then, right?”  
“Yep, all day. I’ll make you lunch if you want” Lance suggested. Keith accepted the offer and headed towards the cafe again, Lance following.

After Keith received his coffee, he waved goodbye to Pidge and Lance then propped up the umbrella and headed out into the storm.  
When Keith was well out of sight, Pidge turned to Lance and began to laugh again.  
“You have a crush” she sang “you have a crush, you have a crush, you have a...” This continued for a good half minute before they both set to work cleaning up for the end of the day. 

After the cafe was all ready to shut down for the night and both friends waved goodbye, Lance ran back to his car and sat down, squelching on the car seat because of his wet clothing.   
So what if he liked Keith? It’s not like Keith liked him back, and Keith probably wasn’t Bi either. But that didn’t stop Lance from day dreaming all the way home, and looking forward to getting his umbrella returned by Mullet the next day.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 2! This was finished earlier than I expected but hope you enjoyed it! Thanks for reading this far and stay tuned for chapter 3!


	3. Cats and Motorcycles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Keith visits the cafe with his cat and Lance finds out Keith rides a motorcycle.

Keith walked home in the rain, holding Lances umbrella over his head. The hail thundered above him sounding more ferocious than ever. Keith felt extremely grateful for the blue coverage above him.  
Luckily, his apartment wasn’t far, meaning he didn’t have to walk for as long and he kept this in mind as he continued rushing to get inside his warm home. A loud streak of lightning cracked in the distance and thunder soon followed, roaring and hollow. The rain fell even more quickly and it began to cloud Keith’s view. He was starting to worry if he would be able to find his way home.  
The faint glimmer of the street lamps provided Keith some comfort as he turned down yet another street. 

After what felt like half an hour of walking, Keith reached the entrance to the small apartment block he lived in. Putting the umbrella down, which was dripping wildly and causing a large puddle to form on the floor, Keith pressed the digits for his apartment and the doors unlocked, allowing him to step inside. He climbed the long flight of stairs up to his room and unzipped the key from his pocket, inserting it and opening the door to the cozy apartment. Just as Keith was about to step inside, a friendly hello sounded from across the hallway. Keith looked up to see his friend Shiro waving at him from his own room.  
“How’s it going?” Shiro asked, walking over. He noticed the blue umbrella that Keith held in his limp hand.  
“You finally got an umbrella!” Shiro said impressed, patting Keith on the back.  
“Uh-no, actually this is a-uh- friends...umbrella” Keith corrected honestly. Shiro grinned.  
“Who would this “friend” be? Pidge?” He assumed.  
“No, um- it’s Pidges friends umbrella. His name is Lance. He’s a barista at the cafe where Pidge works.....actually....” Keith trailed off, not looking at Shiro. The man laughed heartily, patting Keith on the shoulder again.  
“Have you made a new friend then? Or possibly a crush?” Shiro smirked. Keith punched him in the arm, the boxing was really paying off, and waved goodnight before shutting his door behind him. Shiro called a faint goodbye before he was heard walking back down the corridor. 

Keith dropped the umbrella on his kitchen bench and walked over to his fridge, pulling out some leftover spaghetti from the previous night. As he served him self dinner and heated it up in the microwave, a meow rang at his feet. Keith looked down to find his cat, Red, staring up with large yellow eyes. Keith picked the ginger cat up and squeezed him affectionately.  
“Hey, girl. You hungry?” Keith pulled out some chicken mince and scooped some into the cats food bowl. Red trotted over and purred as she began to eat. The microwave beeped, alerting Keith that the pasta was ready. 

Keith sat down on the couch, a hot bowl of spaghetti on his lap, and pulled out his phone to check for notifications. About ten messages from Pidge were listed on his lockscreen. Keith scoffed and clicked to view them. Pidges messages read:  
“Hey how you holding up in the rain?”  
“Is Lances umbrella any good?”  
“I can tell that you are quite fond of him”  
“I hope you don’t get a concussion from the hail!”  
“I’m going to work early tomorrow so feel free to drop by”  
“Also, hows Red going?”  
“It’s been ages since I’ve seen her!”  
“Do you think you could possibly bring her to the cafe tomorrow?”  
“Please??!!!!”  
“Sorry for spamming your phone, see you tomorrow hopefully!”  
Keith smiled, considering whether he should visit Pidge tomorrow with Red. His cat was due for a Vet checkup, so maybe he could bring her in for a little while before heading to the Vets. Keith thought that was a good idea and looked over fondly at his cat which was sitting at its bowl, her large lamp -like eyes staring back.  
“Let’s go and see Pidge tomorrow” Keith spoke, his mouth full of spaghetti. The cat purred and leaped onto his lap. Keith patted Reds head and scratched her chin. 

The next morning, Keith awoke feeling rather sluggish but happy. He could tell Pidge was going to be overjoyed when he showed up with Red at the cafe. Keith hurriedly got dressed, ate breakfast and place Red in her cage before locking the apartment and heading downstairs. Keith went around the back of the apartment block to the small parking space. His motorbike shone faintly from a corner as he walked towards it. Attaching Red to the holder which was specially built in for her and locking the cage firmly in place, Keith swung his leg over the vechile and pulled on his helmet, starting up the engine. The motorbike revved as he pulled the handles, speeding out wards and onto the road. 

The air whistled throughout Keith’s helmet as the bike sped along the streets towards the cafe. Shortly, the familiar building appeared up ahead and Keith slowed down to park. Carrying Reds cage inside, Keith saw Pidge look up excitedly, stopping what she was doing (which was cleaning dishes) to come over to the cat. Gasping happily as she poked her fingers through the bars of the cat cage, Pidge led Keith over to the counter where he then opened the container to let Red roam about. The cat sniffed fondly at her surroundings then came over and rubbed her head against Pidges hand. Pidge cooed, a smile so big it nearly reached her ear lobes.  
“It’s been so long” she beamed at Red, tickling its furry ginger cheeks. Keith watched happily as he made himself comfortable in one of the cafe chairs.

The two friends talked for a while, each enjoying a cup of coffee while Red roamed the shop, until the cafe door swung open and Lance rushed in straight towards the cat, his eyes alight and smile broad.  
“Kittyyyyyy!” Lance squealed as he held his arms out for Red to come to. Keith watched Lance as he acted ridiculously towards his pet.  
“She won’t listen to-“ Keith was cut short when Red began purring even louder and snuggled right up to Lance. Keith’s eyes widened in disbelief. Did his cat really just answer to that?  
“I have a way with cats” Lance boasted matter of factly as he cuddled the ginger furball.  
“What’s her name?” He asked.  
“Red” Keith replied shortly, still in shock.  
“Well hellooo Red” Lance nuzzled the tip of his nose against the cat’s. 

Once Lance had finished his little moment with Red, he stood up and walked over to where Keith and Pidge were sitting.  
“So, how did my umbrella hold up for you?” He asked Keith as he sat down beside him. Shit. Keith forgot to bring it.  
“Fuck, ah- sorry but I forgot to take it with me this morning” Keith shook his head apologetically, not meeting eyes with Lance.  
“All good” the boy laughed  
“I can collect it later on if you want”. Keith’s head shot up and looked horrified. He quickly wiped his face expressionless.  
“Uh, only if you’re ok with it, that is” Lance added, embarrassed.  
“Oh-um, Yeah... sure..ok” Keith wasn’t sure. Did he really want Lance to see his apartment let alone know where he lives?  
Keith shook the thoughts out. He had to be reasonable here. Lance had kindly given Keith his umbrella for the night and without it Keith probably wouldn’t have made it home.  
“Here, I’ll give you my number” Lance put forth, pulling out his phone to tell Keith what it was. Keith made Lance a new contact and sent him the address to his house.  
“Thanks” Lance smiled  
“I’ll come by after I finish work which should be around 5”.  
“Ok” Keith said, looking down at his watch.  
“I actually should get going. Red has her vet checkup in about 15 minutes” He went on, standing to his feet and ushering the cat into her carrier.  
“Aw, I thought you were gonna stay for lunch?” Lance reminded disappointedly.  
“Sorry, I might come back a bit later then” Keith suggested, turning to head out the door. He said goodbye and just as he was about to leave he remembered his helmet that he had put down on one of the tables.  
“Almost forgot!” He smiled as he tucked the helmet under his empty arm.  
“You drive a motorcycle?!” Lance gaped at Keith in amazement.  
“You have to take me on it sometime!!”  
Keith blushed. Was Lance even aware of how casually he was saying all this? That’s something couples would probably do. They weren’t even that close friends yet. At least that’s what Keith assumed anyway. 

Finally waving goodbye and exiting the cafe, Keith started up his motorbike again and drove to the vets, feeling very light hearted and jittery from his encounter with Lance. That boy really was something, and Keith was beginning to really like him.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Finally, chapter 3. Been working on another fic so that’s why this took longer. Hope you like it, and sorry for the cliche cat and motorcycle business, I just like the idea of it :P :D  
> Edit: I am terribly sorry for not editing this chapter and previous ones as well as I could have. I’ve only just realised how many times I have said people names in sentences and it sounds sooo repetitive. Please try to ignore my mistakes to make reading a little more pleasant. Sorry again, I’ll try better in the future!


	4. You should smile more, it’s suits you

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance comes with Keith to the vet and acts strangely when Keith smiles.

Keith arrived at the Vet with about 5 minutes to spare.   
Relaxing a little, he decided to sit down on one of the waiting chairs until the appointment started. Red could sense where she was and was meowing noisily in her cage.  
Poking his fingers through the holes in the carrier, Keith attempted to calm her down and make her quiet, but the Cat continuously made a racket.

Thankfully, Keith was saved from further embarrassment when the Veterinarian called him into one of the appointment rooms.   
He heaved the cage onto the check up bed and opened it, allowing Red to hesitantly crawl out onto the open space of the blue sheets. The Vet then ran their hands over Red, making sure everything was feeling stable and intact before taking a few tests.   
So far, everything was looking fine. The Veterinarian hadn’t said or noticed anything wrong yet, so hopefully that was a good sign for the Cats health.  
Feeling relieved, Keith sat down and pulled out his phone, checking notifications and lazily scrolling through his social media’s.

Loudly, a continuous rapid, beeping rang throughout the room. Keith’s head shot up to meet the Vets serious stare, which also looked a little worried. Something was definitely wrong. He jumped up from his seat and rushed over to his Cat, who still looked scared.  
“What does that beeping mean?” Keith asked nervously, his fingers wrapping tightly around his shirt.  
“I’ve just ran some internal organ tests and there seems to be a blood clot in one of the intestines” the vet explained, gently massaging the designated area.  
“This can be very deadly and could potentially lead to death if we don’t fix it soon. Of course, the surgery can also be very dangerous and not all pets come out of it alive, but by the looks of things, it appears to be your only option”  
Keith felt his own heart begin to sprint in his chest, hammering against his rib cage as he tried to decide and process what was happening.  
“Alright, I trust that this will be the best for Red” Keith finally decided, still shaking slightly with nerves.  
The Vet nodded, pulling out a clipboard with a file for Keith to fill out and sign. His eyes wandered down to how much the appointment would cost and it came to $5,000. Keith’s breath hitched and he forcibly signed his signature to pay. This was all for Red, he assured himself. Anything to save his companion.

Reluctantly, Keith said goodbye to Red and left her with the Vet to perform the surgery. He couldn’t think straight and his first resort was the cafe, driving his motorbike straight there.   
Rushing towards the familiar mahogany glass doors of the shop, Pidge was visible from the inside doing her own business.   
Keith burst through the doors and flung himself towards Pidge, who was at the counter serving a customer. She noticed him running towards her and hurriedly gave over the coffee, turning around.  
“Keith what’s the rush?” She asked worriedly, dusting off her hands.  
“It’s-Red-“ he panted. “She might-die-“. Keith attempted to breath and only wheezed like a wounded animal. Pidge’s face paled and she instantly ushered Keith over to a seat to let him calm down and tell her what happened.

At that moment, Lance strolled out of the staff room, his eyes meeting Keith’s, taking in the panicked expression and hurrying over.  
“What’s the matter?” Lance asked in concern, his hand rising up to lie on Keith’s shoulder comfortingly.   
“It’s his Cat. She needs to undertake surgery and it could possibly kill her” Pidge explained before Keith even opened his mouth.   
He just sat there, staring blankly at nothing in particular and running his thoughts over in his mind until Lances voice broke in and brought him back to reality.  
“Hey, buddy, listen. You have nothing to worry about. I have two cats, Blue and Sandy, and they’ve both had similar problems before. Blue once had to go for a surgery on a liver failure, but she came out perfectly fine and cured. If my words are anything to go by, just trust the Vets because they know what they’re doing and have faith that Red will stay strong for you”. Lance rubbed Keith’s back in soothing circles as he shared this, and Keith could already feel himself beginning to relax. He looked up and smiled thankfully, exhaling deeply and slowly.   
“If you want”, Lance continued “I’ll come back to the vets with you when Red is finished. Y’know, emotional support and stuff”.  
Keith liked the sound of that and took up the offer. Speaking of offers, Lance still owed him Lunch. At that thought, Keith stomach grumbled hungrily and Pidge laughed as she headed to fetch them all something to eat.  
“It’ll be ok” Lance added, his voice a low whisper now but still containing the strong comfort as before.   
“Thankyou” Keith replied appreciatively, giving the boy a small hopeful smile.

After they had eaten lunch, Keith caught the time and realised that Red should be done by now. It had been a good 3-4 hours and the Vet said no longer than that, so both Keith and Lance headed out to see Red.   
As they approached Keith’s motorbike, something dawned on him which he hadn’t realised before. They were taking his motorbike, meaning Lance was going to be on it too! Keith began to feel very flustered and timid as his mind suddenly caught up with him. Why had he let Lance come?! Shit. Well it was too late now.  
He handed Lance a spare helmet and climbed on the bike, telling Lance to do the same and hold tight around his waist. Lance did as he was told and hugged Keith tightly from behind. Keith could feel a hot blush forming on his cheeks and he was very grateful for the coverage of the helmet. Having Lance this close to him felt so embarrassing but he also loved it?   
Ok. Keith could feel his gay feelings starting up again. Not what he needed right now when he was supposed to be focusing on the road, not the handsome boy against his back. Keith coughed awkwardly  
“You ready?” He asked in a muffled voice.  
“Ready when you are biker boy!” Lance grinned, giving Keith a big thumbs up. Biker boy? Keith swore his face would be burning red now. 

The motorbike switched into gear and they were off. Zooming down the roads at amazing speed, the wind whistling loudly in each others ears.   
“This is INCREDIBLE!!” Lance whooped, giving a loud woo-hoo as the bike gained more speed.  
“Keep holding tight!” Keith barked, realising that Lance was holding one of his fists up in the air and punching at the sky with excitement. The bike turned another corner, Keith doing so smoothly and with control and already the Vet could be seen up ahead a few streets away.  
“Nearly there” Keith called over the loud rush of the air, pressing down on the accelerator to go extremely fast up the hill.  
“Nooo!” Lance complained faintly, but his voice was carried away in the wind and he tightened his grip even firmer around Keith’s waist. 

They pulled up in the parking lot of the Vet, removing their helmets and walking inside, Lance grinning ear to ear with adrenaline.  
“That was fucking amazing! Please take me again!”   
The boy continued to plead but stopped when they were inside the waiting room.  
“I hope Red did well” Keith stated nervously, taking a seat and Lance doing the same.   
“Remember what I said. Just have faith in your cat” Lance reminded assuringly.

The Veterinarian suddenly came out from one of the doors, carrying Red who looked very sleepy but calm.  
“She did excellently” the Vet reported, handing Keith the cage so he could see.  
“Oh thank god! Thankyou so much!” He beamed in relief, sticking his finger through the bars and Red rubbing her head affectionately against it.   
The Vet waved goodbye after Keith had payed and told him some tips of what Red should and shouldn’t eat and what kind of psychical activity she would be allowed to do as well.

Both boys headed out to Keith’s motorcycle once again and Keith locked Reds cage in place.  
“Are you sure that’s safe?” Lance asked in concern.  
“Completely” Keith answered certainly. “I had the company install it for me before buying the bike”. Lance nodded and climbed behind Keith once more, pulling on his helmet.  
“Where to?” Keith asked in an open voice.  
“I don’t know. Cafe? But if it’s easier we could just go back to yours so Red can rest” Lance suggested, Keith unaware of how the boy was hoping for the latter.  
“Alright. I’ll drop Red at home and then you back at the cafe. My apartment isn’t far from here, and it’s an easier route than the cafe, so we’ll go there first”.  
The motorbike engine revved loudly and shot off, Lances arms around Keith’s waist once again and Red locked securely in her holder.

Before they knew it, they had reached Keith’s apartment block. He parked the motorcycle then picked up Red and led Lance up to his unit.  
Unlocking the door, Keith gave a fair warning. “Don’t judge the mess. I left in quite a rush this morning”. The door swung open and they were met with a pitch black room. Keith walked into the darkness, searching for the light switch, which he knew exactly where it was, and   
found it, flicking on the power and illuminating the room with the bright yellow hue. Lance stepped inside, shutting the door behind him and looking around contently at the place.  
“I like it!” he said politely, smiling genuinely at Keith.   
“It’s not much, but Red and I live perfectly fine here”. Keith then released Red from her cage and she instantly went to her water bowl to drink.   
“Thirsty cat, huh” Lance said. Keith laughed and looked at the time.  
“Shit. 5 o’clock. Are you hungry or something? I could make you some dinner before dropping you back at the cafe?”  
“Nah man, I’m actually pretty fine. Although, dinner does sound good for another time..” Lance trailed off in thought. “Hey! Why don’t you come over to mine one night next week and meet Sandy and Blue! And I’ll cook up dinner as well!”. Keith blinked dumbly, taken aback by the offer.  
“It’s the least I could for you letting me come with you on your motorbike” Lance added.  
“S-sure, if that’s fine with you. I’d love to come” Keith smiled happily, blushing a little. Lance was suddenly staring very intently and looking like he’d just seen something on Keith’s face.  
“What?” Keith asked, his smile faltering a little.  
“Wha- sorry, I just got distracted” Lance replied nervously, his hand reaching behind his neck. “Ready to go?”  
“Yeah” Keith answered, giving Lance an odd look before leading the way downstairs again.

Keith pulled up outside the cafe and removed his helmet, Lance doing the same.  
“Thanks for this!” Lance beamed, hopping off the seat.   
“No problem. I’ll see you sometime throughout the week, obviously. Can’t wait for dinner at yours next week though!” Keith said excitedly. Lance blushed hard this time and quickly looked behind him to hide his face. He slowly turned back around to see Keith smiling questioningly at him, and there he went again with the odd intense staring.  
“Lance-you’re doing that-thing- again..” Keith nagged in an unsure way. Before he could add something, Lance interrupted hurriedly.  
“You should smile more, it suits you!” And he ran off into the cafe parking lot, giving a short half wave as he sprinted away.  
Keith sat there on his motorbike in astonishment. He couldn’t believe his ears. Did Lance just possibly flirt with him in a way just then. Suddenly, things started to lock into place. Lance offering lunch, Lance wanting to come with Keith to the Vet, Lance promising Keith dinner at his house, that weird staring and now complimenting his smile. Lance liked Keith. Like, liked Keith, and nothing that day aside from Red surviving could have made Keith smile so big he swore his cheeks would split. He felt his face turn extremely hot and he reached one of his fingerless-gloved hands up to it, meeting a furious burn from blushing. He quickly shoved on his helmet and started up the bike, not wanting to risk still being there when Lances car would soon pull out from the parking lot.  
Keith drove home, feeling incredibly light hearted and bubbly. He couldn’t wait to see Lance again, they really were at the start of something extraordinary.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Apologies for the late chapter. It’s getting klancey now! Feeling excited to start the next chapter soon!


	5. Group chats and pasta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Lance has a headache and Pidge made a groupchat.

Lance stretched sleepily as his alarm stirred him awake. Groggily, he opened his eyes to switch it off and get out of bed. There was a piercing ringing in his ears, causing his body to wince uncomfortably.

Trodding downstairs, a familiar jingle of bells meant that the cats were following Lance at his feet. He bent down to scratch Blue and Sandy each under the chin before heading to the pantry to feed them.   
Lances head hurt badly and he had no idea why.   
Blue meowed impatiently, making Lance draw in a sharp breath as the noise thundered painfully in his ears.  
”Quiet, quiet!” Lance shooshed angrily as he poured the dry food into the cat’s bowls. Sandy looked up at him, her eyes huge and concerned and she rubbed her head affectionately against Lances toes.  
“Thanks, girl” Lance smiled gratefully, patting the feline on the head. 

Slowly, he prepared breakfast with the usual muesli, and a cup of Nespresso coffee, which he hoped would clear his nagging headache.   
Sitting at the table, munching his cereal and his head in the clouds, a small buzz averted Lances thoughts to his phone. A text from Pidge shone brightly on the screen, followed by another text from Keith. Lances eyes widened and he rubbed them to make sure he wasn’t seeing things. Pidges text read:   
“Made a groupchat! Thought it would be nice to have a place where we could all talk together”.   
Lance groaned and face-palmed.   
“Pidge, why?” He muttered as he typed a response.   
Lance: Pidge why would you do that?  
Pidge: Why not?  
Pidge: You don’t have a problem with it, do you?  
Lance: nvm  
Pidge: We can’t just stay as our contact names though  
Pidge changed the chat name to “Legendary Defenders of the Universe”  
Keith: Can you stop texting? I’m trying to sleep  
Lance: Aww, Keith needs his beauty sleep  
Pidge: You coming to the cafe today, Keith?  
Keith: Yeah probably. I have nothing else to do  
Lance: You should really get a job  
Keith: Like what?  
Lance: I dunno, what do you like?  
Keith: Well I don’t really have a degree...  
Lance: Right..  
Pidge: You could work with us!  
Keith: I’d rather not be a barista, no offence  
Pidge: (Pidge sent crying gif)  
Keith: (Keith sent laughing gif)  
Pidge: (Pidge sent gasping gif)  
Lance: I have a headache, so don’t mind me if I’m short tempered at work today  
Pidge: All good  
Keith: K  
Lance: K? Is that all you have to say?!  
Keith: What do you want me to say?!  
Keith: Oh I’m so sorry you feel like that. I’ll care for you and bring you flowers and chocolates  
Lance: Better   
Keith: >:(  
Lance: >:3  
Pidge: Bye guys gotta get ready  
Pidge: C U later!  
Lance: (Lance sent waving gif)  
Keith: Bye

Lance smiled softly to himself, rather liking the idea of this groupchat now. Reluctantly, he rose from his seat and cleaned up before getting dressed and heading to work, his headache still drumming in his head.

The regular glow from the cafe windows welcomed Lance, as he entered through the doors, chucking his things away and greeting Pidge.   
“I have something urgent I need to tell you about!” Lance pounced, as he hurriedly tied his apron around him and sat down.  
“Ok, first of all, good morning to you to!” Pidge mocked, grinning.   
“Continue”.  
“Keith agreed to come to mine for dinner next week!” Lance beamed, bouncing in his chair excitedly.  
“Wait, you asked Keith out?!”.   
Pidge dropped the dish she was cleaning and turned to Lance in disbelief.  
“I am- so proud” she smiled, as she wiped a fake tear away from her eye. Lance hid his face in his hands as he jittered uncontrollably with happiness.

“What should I make?” He asked in a panicked expression, his head shooting up as he suddenly realised the consequences of what he had done.  
“Ask Keith what he likes” Pidge suggested, clearly not interested in discussing dinner meals. As the idea of dinner dawned on Lance, a great thought came to mind.   
“I’ll make spaghetti!” He said triumphantly.  
“Cliche” Pidge ticked, emptying the sink.  
“Ugh, well should I at least make pasta?” Lance asked doubtably.  
“What if he’s gluten free?” Pidge said.  
“You’re not helping! Hell, you’ve known Keith longer than I have, shouldn’t you know?!” Lance grew very frustrated, his headache pounding inside.  
“I’m only messing with you. He’s not gluten free and I’m sure, knowing Keith, he will be delighted with whatever you cook up” Pidge assured as she laughed.

That morning, Lance set to work as usual, serving customers but also brainstorming dinner plans. Ravioli? Fettuccini? Gnocchi? He couldn’t decide. What would be the best pasta to make on a first date. Wait, could Lance even consider this as a first date? Did Keith think the same? 

Lances train of thought hit a wall as a pair of familiar purple eyes stood in front of him and a voice called him back to the present.   
“Hello? Can you hear me?” Keith called, waving his hand back and forth in front of Lances face.  
“Yeah-yep- sorry. Just got lost in a thinking process, I guess” Lance chuckled as he nervously stepped out from behind the counter, last nights events with the motorcycle replaying in his mind.  
“Lance, I realised something last night. The suggestion for dinner, was that an invite for a- date?” Keith asked, his voice wavering. 

Lance was dumbstruck. That question was so random. Why would that be one of the first things Keith would imply?  
“I-Well, if you want to call it that, than yes. But I know we haven’t really known each other for too long yet, so maybe it’s better to see it as an opportunity to find out more about one another, y’know?”.  
“Yeah, totally” Keith replied, nodding his head and making his hair sway in all directions. Lance watched as the black locks flowed with Keith’s head movements, noticing how silky they looked. Although, Keith didn’t strike Lance as the kind of person who would really spend a lot of time doing facial routines and hair care processes. How did he keep his skin so clear and hair so shiny? Lance added that to his mental list of questions to ask Keith on their “date”.

“So, can I get you a coffee?” Lance suggested to Keith as he began to prepare one anyway.  
“That would be great, thanks” Keith smiled as he sat down and talked to Pidge for a little while.

“On the house” Lance winked, as he passed Keith the steaming drink.  
Lance could have sworn he saw Keith blush, but maybe it was just the heat of the cafe. 

Later that evening, when no customers had entered for a good ten minutes, Pidge decided it was time to close up for the night.   
Keith had remained at the cafe all day. He really did have nothing to do.   
Lance helped clean up, turning up his radio to make it more enjoyable. One of his favourites began to play, and he bopped his head happily, humming softly as he worked.   
“Ew, what is this?” Pidge called, causing Lance to turn around in exasperation.  
“Excuse me? This is one of the best songs out there, I’ll have you know!” He seethed as he waved a wet cloth at the snickering Pidge.   
Keith got up from his eat and offered to help Lance, who kindly accepted.  
“So, what kind of pasta do you like?” Lance asked.  
“Well, I do love fettuccini pasta with bolognese sauce” Keith replied, his stomach rumbling hungrily.   
“I should get home soon, before it’s too dark” he added.  
“You can leave whenever you like, you don’t have to stay and help if you don’t want to” Lance reminded, moving on to another table.   
“I’ll still help, trust me I want to” Keith answered.

Once the cafe was finally all cleaned up, everyone said their farewells before leaving and locking up. Keith followed Lance out through the back entrance to the parking lot.  
“Did you park your motorbike out here this time?” Lance asked, walking over to his car.   
“Yep just over there” Keith pointed to the red vehicle.   
“Cool” Lance nodded, standing by his car uncertainly.  
“Well, I’ll see you next week then?”.  
“Yeah, see you then. I look forward to that pasta” Keith smiled as he turned to head over to his bike. When he reached it, he turned and gave Lance a wave.  
“Have a nice weekend!”.  
“Thanks, you too!” Lance called back, unlocking his car and shutting the door behind him as he climbed in.   
Keith’s motorbikes engine revved loudly and his lights faded quickly as he drove out of the parking lot, raising a hand as a goodbye to Lance. 

Lance couldn’t help himself from smiling ear to ear. He had definitely fallen head over heels for that boy, and he wasn’t ashamed of it either.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> OMG, I am so sorry for such a late update! I haven’t been writing lately and felt the need to post another chapter so I’ve been working on this recently. I know this is probably one of those fill in chapters but the next one will be about the “date”.   
> Thankyou for continuing to read this!

**Author's Note:**

> Hello! This is my first published fan fiction. Sorry if it’s a bit dodgy, but if you enjoyed it so far please leave a like. More chapters will be coming up soon! If you have any suggestions, feedback, or just comments to say about this fan fic, please feel free to say so in the comments.  
> Thankyou for choosing to read this fan fiction, it means a lot!  
> -MintZephr


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